


A Different Christmas

by JKlog



Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Christmas Eve, Established Relationship, M/M, Secret Santa, Traditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-13 02:25:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16883880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JKlog/pseuds/JKlog
Summary: Jim and Blair go to spend Christmas at Uruguay and meet Naomi there.





	A Different Christmas

Certainly, Jim would have preferred to spend Christmas in Cascade, but Blair, his life partner, wanted to meet his mother in this small country, a place previously unknown to him. Naomi had insisted that they go to spend Christmas in Uruguay. She said that they would never forget the experience.

Besides, it was summer there, which his always cold lover found very attractive.

They left by the exit door of the small Carrasco Airport, and there was Naomi waiting for them, along with a man of about 50, tall, gray-haired, with a mustache and beard, and quite handsome.

Naomi immediately threw herself into her son's arms. Then she kissed Jim on the cheek.

"Blair, Jim! Good to see you! Welcome to Uruguay!"

She turned to his companion and introduced him.

"This is Miguel Ballesteros. An old friend that I have come to visit and who will guide us."

Ballesteros extended his hand to Jim, who shook it, and then to Blair.

"Welcome. You can call me Miguel. How was the trip?"

"It was good. Just a little turbulence,” Blair said.

"I'm glad. Follow me. My car is in the parking lot," said Miguel.

Jim and Blair followed Naomi and Miguel, carrying their luggage in a cart. They waited while Miguel paid for parking in the automatic machines. Then they went to the car and loaded their suitcases in the trunk. They were taken to the hotel where they were staying, in the very nice neighborhood of Montevideo called Punta Carretas.

It was ten in the morning. Naomi told them to cool off and rest, that they would come and get them for lunch.

 

* * *

 

 

They went to the Mercado del Puerto to enjoy the magnificent Uruguayan meats. Blair wasn’t very happy with so much red meat, but decided to put up with it because it was the custom in that country. Jim was very happy with the food, but he also tried to eat a green salad, so as not to upset Blair so much. They also tasted the gizzards, which they had never eaten, and which turned out to be delicious on the grill.

When they left the Market, they had to walk one block to get to Miguel's car, since due to the large influx of people in the Old City they hadn’t been able to park very close. Jim and Blair were a few steps behind Naomi and Miguel, and suddenly, some children came to them.

"Me da una moneda para el Judas, señor?" said one of the children to Jim.

Knowing some Spanish, Jim realized he was asking for a coin for something called Judas. He looked behind the boy, on the sidewalk, and saw, leaning against a wall, a kind of rag doll, dressed in trousers and shirt and with buttons as eyes.

Naomi, seeing that Jim and Blair had stopped, came to them and explained.

"Judas is that doll. At Christmas the children fill it with fireworks and set it on fire. It symbolizes Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus. Children ask for money to buy fireworks."

"Thanks, Naomi. I'll give them something," Jim said, and gave the boy a fifty peso bill. The boy smiled, delighted, and with a, "Gracias, señor!" he went to show the other children the bill.

Blair also smiled, delighted with the generosity of his lover.

"What an original tradition! Although, in truth, it also exists in Spain and other Ibero-American countries, but it’s at Easter and with stones. I’d really like to see when that Judas is set on fire," he said.

"I think we'll have a chance. Miguel's grandchildren also have a Judas," Naomi said.

"Cool!"

 

* * *

 

 

They spent the three days until Christmas touring the city with Miguel and Naomi as guides. Montevideo was a very beautiful city. They got to know the beautiful beaches of the Río de la Plata and visited the markets of artisans, where they bought souvenirs to take to their friends from Cascade, and also to put in the loft and remember this trip.

Christmas finally arrived and they were invited to spend Christmas Eve at Miguel's house. It was a big house, with a large backyard where there was a huge table. Miguel's family was numerous, he had three daughters and one son. Two of his daughters were married and had children. The children were very curious and they harassed Jim and Blair with questions, with their rudimentary knowledge of English.

Miguel was supervising a lamb that one of his sons-in-law was roasting on the grill, while Miguel's wife, Camila, served sangria to their guests. Jim, Blair and Naomi enjoyed the tasty drink made with red wine, vermouth and cider, and with pieces of chopped fresh fruit.

The lamb turned out to be exquisite, accompanied by several salads, including one that was called 'russian salad', which was made with potatoes, carrots and peas. Blair thought they were going to have to diet when they returned to Cascade, since that week in Uruguay they had done nothing but eat. Surely they had both gained a pound or two.

When twelve o'clock arrived, they toasted it with champagne, wishing each other a merry Christmas. Jim wanted to kiss Blair, but he didn’t dare, he didn’t know what the reaction of his hosts would be.

Then they all went to the front of the house, to see the fireworks. There Jim and Blair could observe the lighting of the Judas of Miguel's grandchildren. The doll exploded in pieces, to the joy of the children. Miguel and his sons-in-law also lit fireworks, as did their neighbors, and the sky lit up with lights and colors. Blair told Jim to dial down his hearing to tolerate the noise better.

When it was finished, they went back into the house to have dessert, which consisted of fruit salad with ice cream. It felt very good after the fine dinner. Following the traditions inherited from Europe, where it was winter at that time, Camila served sweet bread, nougat and dried fruit. But really, Jim and Blair couldn’t eat anything else. They were more than satisfied.

About two o'clock in the morning, Miguel took them to the hotel. They went to bed exhausted, but very happy.

 

* * *

 

 

Next day Miguel and Naomi took Jim and Blair to visit Piriápolis and Punta del Este, which were to the east on the oceanic coast of Uruguay. The Atlantic Ocean was beautiful at that time of year, and they could enjoy long sea baths. They sunbathed a little, to take off a little the winter pallor they brought with them. Besides, they changed a bit the diet to which they had become accustomed, eating fish and seafood for a change.

Sooner than they expected, the end of their stay came. They packed their suitcases to return. When they were at the airport, Naomi hugged Blair and some tears ran down her cheeks. Who knew when they would see each other again? She also gave her son-in-law a hug.

Miguel said goodbye and they thanked him for the bottle of Uruguayan tannat wine that he had given them and for having been their host during their stay. He told them that he had enjoyed it a lot and that he expected them to return in the future.

They got on the plane and when it took off, they looked out the window at the landscape of the small country.

"It was a nice Christmas, don’t you think, Jim?"

"Yeah, certainly, a different Christmas."

 

 

 


End file.
